Obesity in general refers to a fat state, but more accurately it means a medical condition in which excess fat has accumulated in the body. Since it is known that overweight and obesity are known to cause various health problems including chronic diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver and hyperlipidemia, various drugs for treating obesity are being developed worldwide.
At present, only two drugs, Reductil® (Sibutramine) and Xenical® (Orlistat) are approved by the FDA. However, Reductil has been withdrawn from the market in Europe by the because the recent SCOUT clinical study with 9,880 patients with cardiovascular diseases revealed higher incidence of side effects in the patients who took Reductil (11.4%) than those who received placebo (10%), and use of Xenical is recommended to be stopped if symptoms of liver damage occur after taking the drug due to the risk of severe liver damage.
Accordingly, development of an obesity-drug exhibiting excellent effect without side effects is necessary.